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Saturday, 15 February 2014

The Oakshott Schoolhouse Quilt

This design for a quilt has been rolling around in my head for a while.

This week I got to make it and it will be available before too long as a free pattern for anyone who buys the sunrise Oakshott F8 pack since it is designed to be made with that bundle.

Once again I quilted a diagonal cross-hatch using an Aurifil 50wt. I do this (i) because the Aurifil 50wt is light enough to leave texture on the quilt without overwhelming or butting into the pattern; (ii) when you quilt a diagonal cross-hatch, any slight puckering issues can be avoided by using the stretch in the fabric when quilting on the bias - a gentle pull will ease out the puckers; and (iii) I like a dense, overall, even pattern which flattens out and tidies up the quilt. These lines are very densely spaced - ideal for a stiff quilt, like a wall hanging. For a snuggly quilt, leave the lines about 3" apart or so. I used a wool wadding here which doesn't have too much loft. Again, for a snuggly quilt, I'd use something like an Heirloom 80/20 which is pouffier, loftier and smooshier.

What a beautiful modern take on such a traditional block quilt! This quilt inspires me to make a similar colored take my own nine-patched house block design, especially since my block requires a light, medium and dark fabric. If and when I ever get around to it, I will certainly share it with you. In the meantime, I could create a mock-up.